Darach and Caitlin: Love Overseas
by cl3fairies
Summary: Fourteen-year-old Caitlin has always been introverted and reclusive, so to get her to come out of her shell, they send her on a trip to Sinnoh with a sixteen-year-old escort named Darach. Will they find love together or will their teen angst cause it to sink? [ABANDONED]
1. The Trip

Fourteen-year-old Caitlin Lockhart was born to businessman Jerome Lockhart, and his socialite wife, Belinda Lockhart. They lived in Castelia City, one of the southernmost cities of Unova. They were a wealthy family and had always lived a cushy lifestyle, filled with exquisite food, extravagant fashion, and upscale parties. To her, it seemed that they were always on the move from party to party, always meeting up with people her parents pretended to be friends with, just because they were rich, too.

Caitlin was always confused, though. She was much shyer than her parents. She never liked meeting new people, or going to parties. She would much rather prefer staying in and reading a book, or going for a walk to Castelia Park than going to a yacht party for a day or flying in a private jet to some island, just to leave a couple hours later. How did her extroverted parents raise such an introvert like her? They always tried to make her come out of her shell, but their attempts always failed.

It had been a drab, rainy day in Castelia, when Caitlin's parents decided to sit her down and have a talk with her. "Caitlin, we know you're a shy girl…" her father said, placing a warm, slightly wrinkled hand on her knee.

Caitlin sighed, she knew where this was going, "So, what kind of scheme are you planning to get me to be less introverted this time?" They had done this so many times already, that she already knew exactly what they were going to say.

"I know you're upset now, but when we tell you what we have planned you'll be so excited, honey!" her mother smiled warmly at her. She knew she would be able to become more outgoing if she just gave it a chance.

"Alright, alright, what kind of scheme did you come up with this time?" she asked, pushing a strand of wispy blonde hair out of her eyes. She decided to humor her parents, as they were so enthusiastic about this idea. Maybe it would finally be an idea that she liked.

"Well, we've decided to send you on a trip… to Sinnoh!" her father exclaimed, giving her hand a squeeze, flashing a grin, slightly masked by his bushy moustache.

Caitlin was speechless, she didn't know what to say. She couldn't really decide what to think, "B-By myself!?" The only thing she could really think of was whether or not they would try to cast her off by herself.

"Well, not by yourself. We know you don't like how…" Caitlin's mother was trying to find the right word, "overbearing we can be, so we decided to hire someone to escort you through the region. Someone who knows it well."

"A-An escort!?" Caitlin was shocked. She didn't want to be going around some foreign place with someone she didn't even know.

"Oh, Caitlin, don't be so worried! His name is Darach and he's an apprentice of one of the finest butlers in Sinnoh! And besides, he's only sixteen. You like older boys don't you, Caitlin?" her mother hinted.

Caitlin rolled her eyes. Despite the fact that she was fourteen, they still insisted on finding someone for her to marry when she was older. Although after she thought for a moment, the idea really didn't sound all that bad. A whole trip with another person her age didn't sound that bad, actually. He would probably be better than her crazy parents, and maybe he'd be pretty cool. Caitlin then looked at her mom and nodded, "I'll do it, it sounds like fun. Plus, you've been on me for so long about getting out, I might as well do this to get you off my tail." she smirked.

"Fabulous! Oh, this is just so exciting! Our baby girl, going on her first trip by herself!" her father clapped his hands, grinning from ear to ear. "You leave next week, but we have an appointment arranged for you to meet with Darach in two days. Just so you two can get acquainted and such. Oh, and don't worry, he's taking a boat over here with his master, so he can see some of the sights we have here."

Caitlin nodded, "By the way, how long will this trip be?" she asked. She realized they had never told her just how long she would be gone.

"Oh, about six months or so, give or take a few days," her mother answered.

"S-Six months!? I thought this would just be a couple weeks or so!" Caitlin objected. Caitlin didn't want to be gone for so long!

"Oh, sweetie, please think about how fun it'll be! You'll get to see all around Sinnoh, and meet so many different kinds of people! Please, just do it for us," her mother pleaded, making the saddest face that she could.

Caitlin sighed, she had no choice but to oblige when her parents sounded so sad, or else she would feel so guilty, "Fine, I'll do it. But you have to lend me some money to spend while I'm there." she bargained.

"Of course, baby doll!" Caitlin's father cooed, springing up and spinning around his daughter, causing her to become slightly nauseated.

"D-Dad, I don't think that was necessary!" Caitlin cried as he put her down.

"Sorry, dear, it's just so rare that you let us help you!" her father apologized.

"I understand, you just get excited sometimes," she responded, giggling. Now that she was thinking about it, she couldn't wait to go on her trip and see what Sinnoh had to offer!


	2. The Meeting

**AN:** **Hi guys, sorry this took a while! I've been very busy, but now I'm ready to go! I've got most of the story planned out, and I'm working on some new ones, so look forward to that! I'm thinking out a schedule right now, but once I have one down, I'll be sure to post it on my profile. Please, leave constructive criticism, as I would really like to know what was good and bad, but don't be rude! Anyways, I hope you enjoy!**

Darach stood in front of the door to the Lockharts' penthouse apartment. He was very nervous, as this was going to be the first time he ever escorted someone by himself. He had just turned sixteen, meaning he was now allowed to escort others, without his master. His whole life had been leading up to this moment, and he wasn't sure if he was ready for it.

He gulped, slicked back his dark brown hair, and knocked on the door. He wasn't really sure what to expect, and he didn't really want to know what it would be. He knew he shouldn't be so nervous, but he couldn't help it. He felt like he had forgotten everything that had been taught to him for the past sixteen years.

The door opened and a tall, mustachioed man was standing in the doorway, "Ah! You must be Darach! Caitlin has been just dying to meet you!" He stuck out his hand, offering it to the young man in front of him.

"Ah, h-hello, sir! Yes, I am Darach, Darach Van Gelder, sir." Darach gripped the gentleman's tough, slightly wrinkled hand, giving it a firm shake with his gloved hand. The man looked very formal, even though he seemed to just be enjoying a day at home. He had on a neatly pressed, grey suit with black loafers, and even a black tie, with a Pokeball pattern on it, showing that he was, perhaps, not as serious as he seemed. His once brown hair was now being taken over by grey, and his bushy brown moustache hid most of his upper lip.

"Lovely to meet you, sir. I am Jerome Lockhart, as I'm sure you know," Jerome broke the handshake, and led Darach inside, closing the door behind him. "Now, this is our penthouse. We stay here most of the times, but during the summer we like to visit Undella Town..." Jerome rambled on and on as he walked throughout the house with the butler, but Darach had stopped listening to him after the first few sentences. Most of his clients were like this. They always liked to go on, and on about themselves and never think about asking him or his master about their lives or experiences.

"And here we are, Caitlin's room!" Jerome announced, grinning. He knocked on the bright pink door, leading to Caitlin's bedroom, "Caitlin, this is your father. The butler who's going to escort you around Sinnoh is here~" he chirped.

Caitlin sighed. She didn't really talk to anybody right now, but she would rather not argue right now, especially with a guest over. "Come in. B-But only the butler," she muttered She would be so embarrassed if her father listened to them talking.

"Oh, well, of course! You two have fun, okay? No kissing!" he called, chuckling to himself as he walked back down the hallway.

Darach blushed as he opened the door. He was greeted by a sickeningly pink room. Pink walls, pink carpet, a pink bed, with a pink canopy, he couldn't see anything that wasn't pink. He noticed that Caitlin was sitting at her desk, drawing something.

"Are you Caitlin Lockhart?" he asked. _Wait, that was stupid…_ he thought. Her father had just told him that was her.

Caitlin turned around and nodded, "Yes, that's me. What's your name?"

"How rude of me to not introduce myself! My name is Darach, Darach Van Gelder, and I will be your escort for the trip to Sinnoh," he smiled proudly. He could finally say he would be someone's escort rather than his master simply saying he was an assistant!

"Okay. Sorry about my father," Caitlin mumbled. She had turned back around and was working on her drawing again. Darach wished she would speak a little more clearly, but he didn't say this, as he didn't want to upset her.

"Yeah, he seems a little bit…. much," Darach confessed, trying to find the right words without being rude.

Caitlin nodded, but didn't respond to him. "So, uh…. What are you drawing?" He asked, trying to make small talk. Caitlin didn't seem very interested in their conversation.

"A design," she stated.

"A design of what, exactly?" Darach knew that would get her to talk more. Maybe he could find out a little about what she was interested in.

"A dress. It's nothing special."

"Ohh, I see! So do you sew or something?" he inquired. He knew a lot about sewing, as he had to tailor any rips in his uniform, and his client's clothing. He figured that this could be a good starting place for their friendship, as they both had something in common.

Caitlin nodded, but didn't say anything. Darach sighed. He knew it was going to take all of his effort to get more than two words out of this girl.

The two sat in silence for an awkward minute or two, Darach trying to think of something to say, Caitlin focused on her design.

"Do you even _want_ to do this?" He questioned. Judging by how quiet she was, she didn't seem entirely interested in this.

"Not really. Well, I don't know… Why do you want to know?"

"You just seem very uninterested. I don't have to take you if you don't want to go," he offered.

"Well, I would like to go… It's just my parents are so insistent on me becoming "less shy" or something like that. They also really want me to get a boyfriend, even though I'm fourteen.

I would like to go if they didn't think we would be married after this was over. You get what I mean, right?" Aha! Darach had finally got what he wanted, he just had to ask the right question!

"Yes, I definitely understand. That really sucks. I didn't really come into this with romance in mind, so I don't think you have to worry about getting married to me or anything," Darach joked, scratching his head, nervously.

Caitlin nodded and turned her chair around, so that Darach could see all of her. She was actually quite beautiful. She had wavy, light brown hair that was tied into a ponytail by a cute, pink bow. She was wearing a strapless white sundress with a pink ribbon tied on the middle. Her head was turned down, but her pure blue eyes were looking up at him.

"Thank you. Now that that's been cleared up, I am kind of looking forward to the trip," she admitted, half-smiling at Darach.

"Well, I'm glad that I was able to put your mind at ease. I look forward to our trip as well. Do you know the time?" he asked her. Normally he had his pocket watch with him, but he had forgotten it today.

Caitlin looked at her desk where she had a clock, "It's four thirty." She responded.

"Oh really!? Gah, I'm about to be late! I was supposed to be gone by four twenty-five!" Darach panicked. He ran to the door before turning back around to Caitlin, "by the way, thank you for being honest with me. I look forward to seeing you next Monday. Make sure you pack well."

And just like that, he was gone. Caitlin shook her head and smiled. She was ready to go to Sinnoh, now.


End file.
